Firebirds Soar Past NYIT, 100-69

WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia men's basketball team used an explosive offense and opportunistic defense to defeat East Coast Conference foe New York Institute of Technology in dominating fashion, 100-69 on Monday night in our nation's capital.

With the win, the Firebirds improved to .500 overall for the 2^nd time this season at 11-11, and they are now 9-5 in league play with wins in three of their last four outings. NYIT fell to 3-18 overall and 2-12 in the ECC with its 3^rd straight loss.

Four UDC student-athletes scored in double-figures, including three with 20 or more points, as the Firebirds hit the century mark for the 2^nd time this season. Senior guard Erin Senegal led the UDC scoring onslaught with 25 points on 9-of-19 FG (5-of-10 three-point FG) and 2-of-3 FT. He also grabbed eight rebounds and dished three assists.

Meanwhile, junior transfer point guard Kasim Chandler was two rebounds shy of a triple-double, with 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds; sophomore guard Traevon Butler registered career-highs of 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his 2^nd career start as a Firebird; and junior guard Reggie Sidbury added a season-high 18 points on 7-of-9 FG (4-of-6 from long range).

Junior transfer forward Joseph Nickerson packed the stat sheet in a unique way with 10 rebounds, an ECC individual single-game high seven blocked shots, six assists, five steals, and two points.

The Bears were led by guard Khalif Chaplin's game-high 29 points and five rebounds, and forward Jerrel Green's 21 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots.

UDC out-shot its guests 51-percent to 34-percent from the field, 48-percent to 23-percent from three-point range, and 71-percent to 49-percent from the foul line. The Firebirds had 26 total assists as a team and only 11 turnovers, while NYIT had nine assists and 19 turnovers. UDC scored 21 points off turnovers compared to just seven by the Bears.

Green's jump shot at 19:46 gave NYIT its first and only lead of the night, as Senegal kicked off a 9-0 run by the Firebirds with a three-pointer, and they never looked back. Leading 18-14 near the 11-minute mark, the Firebirds extended their lead to 20 with a 17-1 run over a six-minute span. UDC led by as many as 24 in the first half and would take a 50-31 lead into intermission.

The Firebirds wasted no time putting the game away as they started the 2^nd half on an 8-2 run and extended their lead to 25. A three-pointer by Chaplin just past the 12-minute mark brought NYIT within 15, but eight points on back-to-back three-pointers and a layup by Sidbury pushed the lead back up to 23 at the 10:44 mark.

UDC's lead swelled to 34 after a pair of Butler free-throws at 3:55, and the Firebirds would cruise to a 31-point victory – their largest win differential since February 6^th, 2013 when they also defeated NYIT, 100-67.

The Firebirds will look to go over .500 for the first time since 2011-12 when they host ECC foe Dowling on Wednesday, February 10^th at 5 p.m.